PHOTO: Piebald deer spotted in western Massachusetts

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – A rare type of deer was spotted in Amherst by a 22News viewer on Saturday.

22News viewer Joseph Peloquin captured a photo of a piebald deer on the border between Amherst and Shutesbury, which are deer that were born with a rare genetic condition that gives them small to large patches of white hair mixed in randomly with normal brown hair color, according to the National Deer Association .

Some piebald deer might have only a few outward signs of the condition, such as small patches of white hair, but some others might be mostly white, like the one pictured. Both parents must carry the recessive gene for there to be a chance for their fawns to have it.

Because many piebald fawns don’t survive to adulthood, and the trait is recessive, the condition is not likely to become common anywhere, but they are more common to come across than an albino or melanistic deer.

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PHOTO: Piebald deer spotted in western Massachusetts

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WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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